The CIVL states that each category is determined by its economic value and strict appellation rules and requirements must be respected. The new tiers were confirmed at the generic body’s annual general meeting on June 25. The AOC Languedoc ‘pyramid’ upon which the tiers stand, was introduced in 2007.

Jérôme Villaret, CIVL executive officer, said: “This will mould the future of the Languedoc region for the next 15 years.”

The CIVL also approved a plan of action based on technical, economic and marketing strategies, which will make up the framework of its activities for the coming years. The plan includes measures to control the quality and the quantity of Languedoc wines, plans to help wineries manage their production and sales strategies, as well as communication and promotional programs to energise sales.

CIVL president Frédéric Jeanjean said of the plans to raise the profile of quality wines from the region, that they hoped to “transform the Languedoc into a profitable, quality wine‐making region”.

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The wine trade can be divided into two fundamentally opposed camps. on one side, you have the romantic idealists who believe that wine is – or can be – something special, bordering on mystical: an elixir like no other, comparable to the greatest works of art.